KEMRI’S New Genomics Lab Nears Completion, Soon To Join The Fight Against Mutant Poliovirus

On 24th June, 2025, senior representatives from the World Health Organization African Region (WHO-AFRO), the Gates Foundation, eHealth Africa, and other partners visited the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) headquarters to assess the construction progress of the new genomics lab which is nearing completion.

The lab, constructed through a partnership between KEMRI, WHO-AFRO, and the Gates Foundation, with eHealth Africa as the project manager, is now 90% done. The final touches such as furniture, fittings, and lift installation are expected to be completed by early July and scheduled to be fully operational by December 2025. The expansion of the polio lab coincides with the emergence of a new, dangerous form of poliovirus in the region. Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (CVDPV2) is now spreading rapidly across the Horn of Africa, particularly in areas with low vaccination coverage and frequent cross-border movement

In addition, the partners are also training local scientists and expanding bioinformatics capacity to ensure sustainable, long-term impact. “Kenya is becoming a model for how to build modern labs in Africa,” said the Senior Program Officer, Gates Foundation Dr. Kathleen Rankin. “What’s happening here can be copied across the continent.”

The delegation also including WHO-AFRO’s Coordinator of the Regional Polio Laboratory Network, Dr. Jude Kfutwah Anfumbom and Dr. Charles Korir, and from eHealth Africa, Ms. Chinenyenwa J. Henshaw and Sharlen N. Wachiye were received by the KEMRI team led by the Deputy Director, Centre for Virus Research (CVR), Dr. Samoel Khamadi and Director of the KEMRI polio lab, Prof. Peter Borus. Also present was the SARAGE Investments team led by the Director, Mr. Alphonce Omandi, and OTIS Ltd.’s Ms. Yvette Okemo and Mr. Steve Asige.

During the meeting, the main contractor, SARAGE Investments said that it was committed to finishing construction by 5th July 2025, while OTIS Ltd., the lift contractor, reported that the lift was shipped in June and is expected to be installed and tested by August 2025. KEMRI confirmed that the lab structure is nearly complete, and most of the imported furniture from China is already being installed. With lab activities expected to begin by December, WHO-AFRO and eHealth Africa emphasized the need to stick to timelines.

Dr. Anfumbom, while sounding alarm over the CVDPV2 virus, expressed optimism in the capabilities of a genomics lab. “We need to move faster than the virus. Genomics gives us the speed and accuracy to do that,” he emphasized.

Once operational, the lab will leverage cutting-edge genomic tools to quickly identify and track polio outbreaks not only in Kenya, but also in six other countries supported by the KEMRI EPI Laboratory. Currently, sequencing polio samples requires sending them to labs outside Kenya, an often lengthy and costly process. The new facility will eliminate this delay by enabling on-site, real time sequencing, allowing Kenyan scientists to rapidly trace the source and spread of outbreaks.

Beyond bricks and deadlines, the lab embodies a philosophical shift. Outbreak intelligence will no longer stop at Kenya’s borders, genomes sampled in Somalia or Ethiopia can be couriered to Nairobi, sequenced within 48 hours, and the results shared across a regional data hub turning surveillance into a collaborative, national asset.

Dr. Charles Korir on his part, likened the system to an airtraffic radar. “You need every sweep of the screen to know where the planes are,” he said. “In polio terms, that sweep is a genome. Miss one, and you may not see the virus diving toward an under-immunized district until paralysis appears.”

Prof. Borus penciled 2nd September, 2025 for a formal handover ceremony, pending a pre-visit audit by WHO the week of 18th August. “We can’t pop the champagne until a child’s sample lands, the sequencer hums, and the phylogenetic tree lights up on-screen,” he cautioned, standing beneath freshly painted ducting. Yet optimism ran high as the visiting party ticked off milestones against a clipboard: walls up, power on, data lines live.

“This lab is not just for Kenya; it’s for the region. Fighting polio is a team effort,” said eHealth Africa’s, Ms. Chinenyenwa Henshaw, while Prof. Borus remarked, “This lab is a major step forward. It will help us save lives and keep Africa polio-free.”

Although wild polio has been eradicated in Africa, the new variant is spreading fast. Without rapid detection and strong cross-border collaboration, experts warn that the virus could regain a foothold. The new genomics lab will play a critical role in regional surveillance, giving scientists the tools to detect outbreaks sooner and respond more effectively.